It is common error to infer that things which are consecutive in order of time have necessarily the relation of cause and effect.
We cannot infer from prosperity that God is pleased with us, nor can we infer from adversity that he is displeased with us. - Wilson Benton
Two good indicators of revealed preferences are things the people tend to value a lot: time and money. If you look at how they spend their time and how they spend their money, you can infer quite a lot about their real preferences. - Douglas W. Hubbard